Is Hemp CBD Legal?

The answer is more complex than you may think.

Hemp, a type of cannabis, was a staple of the US economy for hundreds of years. Then came the prohibition. Along with alcohol, cannabis (marijuana and hemp) was also prohibited in the late 1930’s. When the alcohol prohibition was lifted, law makers decided to keep all forms of cannabis illegal. There are many theories as to why hemp remained on the “hit list”.

One theory is that the nation’s most powerful men has stock in the newly built paper factory. If hemp were legal, the paper factory would go under. Hemp paper can be processed much more easily and cost effectively than wood sourced paper.

Fast forward to the late 1990’s- medical researchers found a link between phytocannabinoids found in the cannabis plant and the endocannabinoids that are naturally produced by all vertebrates. Vertebrate animals have hundreds of receptors throughout the body and cannabinoids bind to those receptors which in turn keep the body in balance. Cannabinoid deficiency leads to illness and improper function.

That brings us back to the legality. Because cannabis had no longer been cultivated for over a half a century, humans and livestock are increasingly more cannabinoid deficient. Researchers began to link increased health concerns with the lack of cannabinoids in our diet.

Because the research shows such positive results, more and more people are becoming interested in alternative treatments including CBD (cannabidiol, a cannabinoid most prevalent in hemp).

In 2014 the Farm Bill included a provision that allowed hemp to be cultivated, marketed and consumed in all 50 states as long as it was sourced from a legal or pilot state. What’s more, the wording states that no federal or state agency may interfere with hemp pilot programs. That’ being said, the DEA rescheduled CBD from schedule 1 to schedule 5 in the fall of 2018. When asked, the DEA will explicitly state that CBD is illegal and classified as a schedule 5 drug. The World Health Organization and the FDA have both stated that hemp and CBD are not a health risk and support descheduling by the DEA.

That leads us to the current state. The Farm Bill must be renewed every 5 years. The 2018 Farm Bill has a more hemp friendly version than the 2014 bill. Mitch McConnell has guaranteed that as part of the bill, hemp CBD will be removed from the controlled substances list.

That means, any hemp derived CBD product with THC content less than .3% will be undeniably legal in all 50 states and on a federal level!
You can help make these changes happen faster. Reach out to your state senators and let them know that you support the hemp provisions to the 2018 US Farm Bill. The following link will connect you with your legislators to show your support for hemp.https://www.votervoice.net/Shares/BvfkbALyACDsOAxqDfT7FAA